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Tuesday, 23 October 2012

Choicest Master Pieces of Choral Music

If you have been
fortunate enough to attend a service or concert at Worcester Cathedral, you
will remember the beautiful sound and the atmosphere that is possible in such an ancient building. In
this week’s blog we delve into the cathedral library’s music collection
to look at two seventeenth century music books.

(Robert Parsons' music from an early part book. The photograph is copyright the Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral)

The first is one of the
handwritten Worcester choral part books. This was compiled over many years. One
section was copied down at some point between the years 1620 and 1640. The
second section dates to between 1670- 1700. There are 115 items by eighteen
composers in the manuscript. To pick one of the earlier composers as an
example, there are the Venite, Te Deum, Benedictus, Kyrie, Creed, Magnificat,
Nunc Dimittis, and an offertory by Robert Parsons (1530 -1572).

The second book is a printed music book. John
Barnard was a minor Canon of Saint Paul’s Cathedral in the mid-seventeenth
century. In Worcester Cathedral Library are copies of his famous music book ‘The First Book of selected Church Musick’.
Barnard collected together and had published various approved composers works.
The book was printed by Edward Griffin in 1641. Griffin was not experienced in
printing music, but the finished product must have pleased both himself and the
author. It contains a series of intricate opening letters for many of the
pieces, and an unusual typeface for the words that give the books a degree of
unexpected elegance.

(Barnard's First Book of Church Music 1641. The photograph is copyright the Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral)

Barnard dedicated the book
to King Charles I. In his dedication Barnard spoke of the long tradition of English
choral music from Anglo-Saxon times. However, he wished to publish what he
described as the “choycest Master-peeces,
left us in Hymnes, Anthems, and Services” of famous composers’ works from
the reign of Queen Elizabeth I onwards.Barnard
was not simply bringing his favourite tunes to a wider audience. As he wrote, he
was keeping them from the “danger of
perishing, or corrupting in erroneous and manuscript obscurity”.

The book consists of service
music by Tallis, Strogers, Bevins, Bird, Gibbons, Mundys, Parsons, Morlys,
Giles, Ward, and Woodsons. There then follows six composers’ work suitable for
the Psalms and Litany, and then fifty-four Anthems again by a range of
composers.

(Barnard's First Book of Church Music 1641. The photograph is copyright the Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral)

The last word should go to John Barnard who ended the
book’s preface with this sentence: “So
wishing to all those that shall use these books, cleere voices, true measure,
and chiefly affections ray’sd to the devout height of these ditties, I take
leave.”